Randy Olson

He is a photojournalist in the documentary tradition. He often works with his wife, Melissa Farlow and their work has taken them to 50 countries over the past 20 years. Even though they are published in LIFE, GEO, Smithsonian and other magazines, they have primarily worked on projects for the National Geographic Society. They normally work individually, but have co-produced National Geographic magazine stories on northern California, American national parks, and the Alps. They photographed the southern United States for a book by Collins Publishing and have collaborated on over 70 books by various publishers.

Randy’s 30+ National Geographic projects have taken him to almost every continent. National Geographic Society published a book of his work in their Masters of Photography series. Olson was the Magazine Photographer of the Year in the Pictures of the Year International (POYi) competition, and was also awarded POYi’s Newspaper Photographer of the Year—one of only two photographers to win in both media.

Olson received an Alicia Patterson Fellowship to support a seven-year project documenting a family with AIDS, and a Robert F. Kennedy Award for his story on problems with Section 8 housing. He was also awarded the Nikon Sabbatical and a grant from the National Archives to save the Pictures of the Year collection.

In 2011, Randy founded The Photo Society (thephotosociety.org) that is open to any photographer who has produced a full-length story for National Geographic magazine. The purpose of the organization is to find economic opportunities and provide exposure to members as the economics of print dwindles. The National Geographic photographers elected Randy to represent them on the Photographer’s Advisory Board (PAB) for National Geographic and The Photo Society grew from Randy’s work on the PAB and his realization that the management at the National Geographic Society didn’t really understand the hazards their photographers endured.

2006 — Meltdown: The Alps Under Pressure, National Geographic magazine, February

1994 — Our National Parks: Legacy at Risk, National Geographic magazine, October

1993 — Northern California, National Geographic magazine, July

Single Photograph Publications

There were over 8000 instances of photographs used in publications since 2001 (when my main agency started computer records). I can make the spreadsheet available, but I am not going to list them here.

2011 — The Photographers, Cathy Newman, National Geographic Books Division. The book highlights the last five years of photography on assignment for NGM. Cathy interviews 15 different photographers, which accompanies a portfolio of the photographer’s work. The featured interview about Randy Olson is about 800 words long and includes information on his style of photography, and what it’s like to work on assignment for NGM.

1995 — National Parks of North America,William R. Gray, National Geographic Books

1995 —Over America, Weldon Owen, Andrei Codrescu, also a PBS series

1994 —Passage to Vietnam, Against All Odds, Rick Smolan

1994 —Descubriendo Ecuador, Pablo Corral Vega, Loup Langton

1993 —Odd Jobs, Library of the Curious and Unusual, Time-LIFE Books

1992 —A Day in the Life of Hollywood, Collins Publishers San Francisco

1992 — Best of Photojournalism,National Press Photographers

1991 —Our Fifty States, National Geographic Picture Atlas

1991 —The Circle of Life, Rituals from the Human Family Album, Harper San Francisco,

1991 —Baseball in America. Collins Publishers San Francisco

1991 —A Day in the Life of Ireland. Collins Publishers San Francisco

1990 —A Day in the Life of Italy. Collins Publishers San Francisco

1990 — Best of Photojournalism,National Press Photographers

1990 —The Power to Heal, Ancient Arts and Modern Medicine, RxMedia Group

1989 —The Jews in America. David Cohen, Collins Publishers

1989 —A Day in the Life of China. Collins Publishers San Francisco

1988 —Christmas in America. Collins Publishers San Francisco

1988 —A Day in the Life of California. HarperCollins Publishers

1987 — Best of Photojournalism,National Press Photographers

1982 — Best of Photojournalism,National Press Photographers

Non-Print Publications – Selected: (Solo)

NPR Picture Show: Easter Island

Terry Gross, Fresh Air, NPR, Interview about the Price of Gold story in National Geographic Magazine.

Non-Print Publications – Selected: (Group)

National Geographic’s Most Incredible Photos, DVD. What really sets these photos apart are the stories behind them. In three full-length programs, National Geographic’s Most Incredible Photos reveals the memorable, behind-the-scenes stories of the best of the best photos from National Geographic magazine.

Ten Best Photos of 2010, National Geographic Television

Ten Best Photos of 2009, National Geographic Television

National Geographic’s Most Amazing Photos, National Geographic Television

2000 — Pictures that Made a Difference, Photo District News, May issue and PDN.com

iPad Apps (Group):

App – National Geographic 50 Best Photographs and the stories behind them. Over the 124-year history of the National Geographic Society, these are the 50 best photographs. Two of my photographs are in this group:

App – Population 7 Billion: How Your World Will Change. I did the overview story for the yearlong series of stories National Geographic magazine ran when the world population hit 7 billion. The main subjects of the overview were urbanization, immigration, poor young countries and rich elderly countries and how those interrelate.

2012 — Christies Auction:THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC COLLECTION: THE ART OF EXPLORATION CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY, Sale 2603 New York, Rockefeller Center | December 6, 2012

2012 — 50 Greatest Photographs of National Geographic, which showcases some of National Geographic’s most compelling photographs, September 29, 2012 – January 13, 2013, Fawick Gallery Cleveland Museum of NATURAL HISTORY

2013 — MAGMA exhibit: In Librino, a neighborhood of Catania, Sicily, Fiumara d’Arte has been working for 10 years with various artistic projects (including photography) to put an end to cultural and social confinement. MAGMA, a unique photography museum will be articulated in the shops and commercial centers of Librino: bakeries, gyms, hairdressers, supermarkets, etc, that will all have pictures from world famous photographers exhibited inside the shops. Visitors will be handed a map with all the museum’s locations and will have the possibility to visit the neighborhood and the photography museum passing from one small shopping area to another.

2012 — No Strangers:ancient wisdom in a modern world, November 2012 – January 2013, Annenberg Space for Photography. Photographers featured in the exhibit are Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher, Wade Davis, Chris Johns, Lynn Johnson, Steve McCurry, Randy Olson, and Chris Rainier. The exhibit will feature an original short documentary on these photographers shown in vivid detail on two 14’ by 7’ screens in 4K resolution.

2012 — Beyond the Story: National Geographic Unpublished 2011 Grosvenor Hall, February 23, 2012 – August 5, 2012. Selected from images shot on assignment for 29 articles, the photographs in this exhibition offer a glimpse at the richness of what is left behind after editing is complete.

2011 — I Colori del Mondo, Rome Un mondo di colori di Guglielmo Pepe. A major national exhibition of National Geographic Italy. The Palace of Exhibitions in Rome – “Colors of the World” at the Exhibition Palace in Via Nazionale in Rome: 12 February – 1 May 2011

2011 —Through the Lens of National Geographic, Celebrating a Century of Visual Exploration, June 30 through October 22, 2011, Mexican Cultural Institute

2010 — Water: Our Thirsty World The Annenberg Space for Photography presents an exhibit examining the precarious state of the world’s fresh water. Coinciding with National Geographic’s special issue “Water: Our Thirsty World,” this exhibit features the work of award-winning photographers looking at our most precious resource from environmental, social, political and cultural perspectives, March 27 through June 13, 2010

2010 — Digital to Daguerreotype: Photographs of People. Carnegie Museum of Art, June 8, 2009 through January 31, 2010

2010 — Nuru Project, Leveraging photography for social change in the developing world. Dignity exhibit was initially launched in New York and continued to San Francisco, Chicago, DC, Toronto, London, Dubai, and Karachi. In addition, there is a Dignity photo book.

2009 —Paradise: National Geographic Photographs Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts November 7, 2008 through January 2nd, 2009 Where… or what… is heaven on earth? Nine National Geographic contemporary masters answer the question in a new gallery show.